


All bets are off

by Redclaire999



Category: NCIS
Genre: Canon Divergence, Complicated Relationships, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, Gun Violence, Light Angst, Mild Language, Sexual Content, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26339977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Redclaire999/pseuds/Redclaire999
Summary: If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time. (Chinese proverb).Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always for the noblest of reasons (Oscar Wilde)
Relationships: Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 62
Kudos: 93





	1. Cards on the table

Ok so, they’d kissed.

Not like with tongues or anything but definitely, _deliberately_ kissed.

It just happened as they huddled their heads together under his jacket trying to avoid getting soaked in a sudden, drenching September rain shower. Just a simple, casual moment, kissing on a rainy street corner, neither really knowing who initiated it or who finished it, they just broke away and made a dash for a taxi that pulled up alongside.

Afterwards wasn’t as awkward as he'd feared. They sat in the backseat of the cab and he used his sleeves to dab off his wet face stealing nervous glances at her as she shook out the raindrop splashes from her hair.

‘So about that…’ he had started.

‘Yeah, so that happened’ she had shrugged as blasé as anything.

And then they laid their cards on the table.

Yeah, they had this simmering chemistry or whatever between them but they were partners, best friends, first and foremost. They couldn’t and wouldn’t fuck that up because of some random undefined sexual tension between them, so they had kissed and it proved they could and it wouldn’t change anything between them. They both acknowledged that it was bound to happen at some stage, right? It was just something they had to get out of their systems. And then they laughed about it.

No big deal.

That night after their kiss continued just the way nights always did when they were out for drinks; with them walking together to the nearest pizza joint once the bar closed, chowing down on _way_ too many late-night carbs that magically evaporated from her tiny frame yet he’d have to work off at the gym and then Nick walking her home as they discussed, argued, or heatedly debated some bizarre topic like ‘hottest Disney character’ or best Olympic sport, sometimes in English, other times in Spanish.

Only _this_ time he kissed her again at her doorstep because they were just proving the point. Nothing between them would change with just a kiss.

Except it did.

It changed everything.

For him.

Because he had never kissed anyone and felt like that before. How could a brief, warm press of soft lips cause the meteor shower of shooting stars that cascaded from the touch of her mouth on his, all the way down to his toes, buzzing every cell in his body?

He was still buzzing, like two weeks later, even glancing at her sent the subtle hum vibrating through him again.

_Idiot Torres!_

He had friend-zoned _himself_ because now he had talked himself into a stupid corner that they could sporadically kiss and it apparently meant nothing serious to either of them.

And they touched more now. Like silly fake punches, tickles and shoulder slaps, because before their kisses flippant touching was dangerous, confusing, tempting and too close for comfort.

The steam valve that had been wound so tight, that build-up of pressure that threatened an imminent explosion had been released; they had been too close to acting on their pent-up tension, either through sex or a fight. One or the other option would have ruined their relationship irrevocably. So instead they had lowered the temperature of their hissing, sizzling boil to a simmer, still hot but now it was safer, more manageable.

They were friends who were attracted to each other yes, who could kiss and touch and tease with suggestive banter, but it never went further because they were partners…blah, blah, blah.

_Whose dumb stupid idea was this anyway, oh yeah-mine!_

But she was happy with it too. She seemed relaxed like the weight was lifted, the flame turned down under an irritating, whistling kettle. Now she could just laugh _at_ him, _with_ him with abandon because she didn’t have to analyse or second guess his motivations anymore. She knew where she stood, where they were at, and Ellie always needed to alphabetize, categorize, colour-code and organise things. That’s where she found her inner calm, her serenity.

All those puzzling feelings were now explicable, rationally it made sense; they were together almost every day, they trusted each other implicitly, lives on the line, she had his back and he had hers. Always. It was only natural their mutual fascination and chemistry would fizz and sparkle between them.

Now they could call a spade a spade.

They were attracted to each other and it wasn’t likely to go away so it was better to face the fact, right?

But being anything _more_ could be dangerous, could cloud their judgement at some critical point. Being more than partners on the job could get one or both of them killed. That was the real point of Rule 12.

Anyways they were categorically _not_ each other’s type, point proven by the fact they still dated other people. She always went for the tall, blonde, Boy Scout type and he liked the sultry señoritas, so clichéd but they laughed about that too. There wasn’t jealousy…not exactly…more of a healthy dislike for the guys she dated. They didn’t match up to how great she was, they were _alright_ but not good enough for Ellie, she deserved the best. She didn’t comment much about his dates other than calling him out over his cheesy chat lines, marvelling that they worked on _any_ woman and joining him for a cheer-you-up beer when he broke up with them.

He enjoyed those beers more than his dates.

They were conning themselves and fooling nobody else. Everyone else just assumed they had taken their flirtation to the next level and were keeping it on the down-low.

The ‘openly dating others’ confused people, especially their co-workers who had noticed their changed relationship, their easy playful conversation, their relaxed behaviour around each other. Investigative observation by federal agents of their every move, along with intensive prodding and poking with none too subtle questions meant that they started hanging out together in a bar a few blocks up from the regular NCIS haunt, away from prying eyes and curious, judgemental questions.

It wasn’t dating it was just hanging out like they always did.

‘So, _your_ round Torres’ Ellie sing-songed smugly, ‘I knew I was right about that Petty Officer, she did _not_ sleep with her Ensign’.

‘Ok I’ll admit you were right, they’re just friends _now_ but maybe not in the future’ he suggested, still sticking to his guns as best he could even when faced with the facts.

‘The bet was that they were sleeping together; what they do in the future has no bearing on the fact you still owe me that Sex on the Beach since Wednesday’

‘Oh Bishop we could have just driven out to the coast if I’d known you were waiting’ he crooned at her earning himself a rude noise and an eye roll.

‘Gah, I should have asked for a Sloe Comfortable Screw Against the Wall if I’d known you were that easy!’

This was another fallout from the kissing…Ellie Bishop could _tease_ , like off the chart suggestive, naughtiness and it was hot!

‘The lady gets what the lady wants’ he smirked ‘your wish is my command B’

She made a great play of considering her choices and leaned forward her eyes narrowing, and he held his breath, ‘I’ll have a beer, I hate when the sand gets everywhere and your back ain’t what it used to be’ she punched him playfully in the bicep.

It felt good now that they had finally acknowledged the fleeting urges they held – that yeah, they’ve made out a couple of times. If they weren’t partners, if they didn’t have a professional relationship to screw up, would he give in and act on it? Hell yeah. And for a while, he denied it and it made him crazy. Teasing each other with the possibilities, knowing it was off the table, was much more gratifying than trying to deny that they didn’t want to go there.

Between them, there was always a challenge, a boundary to be pushed. Of course, they couldn’t _just_ play pool, there had to be a bet involved.

‘I’m not taking your money again Bishop’ he casually continued chalking his cue and blow the dust off as she huffed, her twenty buck loss on an Air Hockey bet had riled her.

‘I still say there was something wrong with my end of the table’ she grizzled

‘Don’t be a sore loser Ellie,’ he rattled off for like the tenth time.

‘You wanna go again?’ She asked. ‘Make it three drinks instead?’

‘Maybe’ Nick smiled. ‘You get pretty handsy after three drinks’. That comment earns him a quick jab from her elbow.

‘You wish,’ she teased.

‘Let’s raise the stakes’

‘Ok, I’m listening’ she mused, chalking up her our cue and pursing her lips with a mischievous smile as she blew away a puff of blue dust from the tip.

‘So, _I_ win you come to my cousin’s wedding with me. Now that Celina kicked my ass to the kerb, I need a plus one I can tolerate for a whole evening’

‘Oh, I’m sorry what happened? She seemed nice!’ her concern for him when he split up from his many brief- well you could hardly call them ‘relationships’, was always so sincere. It rattled him more than a little.

‘Um, she wasn’t _exactly_ understanding when I cancelled our date last Friday…she was already in the restaurant’ he grimaced, still stinging from the verbal kick in the balls he’d gotten from her.

‘Wait, last Friday? You didn’t say you had a date, Nick! You shouldn’t have cancelled because of my meltdown!’

He had cancelled his date without a second thought. There was nowhere else he _needed_ or _wanted_ to be other than with a distraught Ellie.

They had been working a drugs case at the base, new recruits getting high on old-school ecstasy. It ended badly at a college dorm raid and Ellie shot a kid, well a seventeen-year-old dickhead that pointed a gun at McGee’s head. He’d ducked just in time but he had spent an hour with Jimmy getting splinters picked out of his scalp from where the bullet hit the doorframe, where his head had just been seconds before.

It was a clean hit, the kid had fired a gun at a federal agent but she took it hard. Nick knew from personal experience that taking a life, no matter how necessary, was a brutal thing to do. Yes, you were trained at the academy to shoot but those paper targets shaped like human silhouettes were a far cry from actual people. For one they didn’t bleed but more importantly, even as the paper came back toward the shooting area, you didn’t have to watch the life drain out of the target.

He had texted her after work and she texted back she was fine. He called her a little while later and he heard the wobble in her voice. She told him, again, to quit worrying, that she was fine, but he knew better. So he’d ditched his date, looking back at it now he had been fairly unceremonious about it, and he drove over to Ellie's with a box of donuts, a jar of her favourite dill pickles and a banana flavoured milkshake, all the Bishop rescue food groups.

He could tell she’d been crying, and her hair was a mess from twisting and pulling at it. He didn’t _not_ notice that she was wearing _his_ hoodie over flannel pj bottoms either. She protested that she was fine, a big girl, tough federal agent, all the usual stuff but when he pulled her into a hug she melted against him and he could feel her ribs hiccup with controlled, silent sobs.

There were no words. None were necessary anyway. Ellie had to get it out – all the guilt, all the fear, all the horror. Her tears were cathartic. Rubbing slow circles across her back, Nick simply was there for her. So they just stood there, for how long he had no idea, just hugging and he smoothed down her frazzled hair, pressing his lips to her forehead in a series of long kisses and she gripped her fingers interlaced together at the small of his back, her arms wrapped tight around his waist.

‘Better?’

‘Yeah, I guess I needed you after all, huh?’ she sniffed.

‘Always here for you B. Do you want me to stay for a while, maybe a movie to take your mind off stuff?’

‘Yeah, that would be nice Nick, thanks’

His ‘date-night’ shirt was stained, wet from her tears and probably her snots too, but he didn’t care. His friend had needed a hug, he could do that, she had saved McGee’s life today. There had been too many close calls recently. The hug comfort transfer wasn’t all one way; he felt instantly better having her in his arms, knowing she was unharmed and ok.

She chose _The Goonies_ and she wedged herself against him on the sofa and he threw his arm around her shoulder. He had a beer from her fridge, and she slurped on her milkshake but only nibbled on one donut. She was upset, it would take a while for her to come to terms with the loss of potential, the waste of a young life. He stayed until her yawning overwhelmed her ability to form coherent sentences and then he told her to go to bed and call if she needed him.

They didn’t kiss. It wasn’t about that. These situations just showed them how much their friendship really mattered.

He didn’t regret ditching his date but it left him short one for his cousin’s wedding next week and he knew his sister, as Matron of Honour, would roast him if he screwed up another table plan by going stag.

‘Aww man! That’s a _big_ ask Torres, family wedding, hair-do, heels and a girlie dress and in photos urgh!’ she shook her head in disgusted horror. ‘Hmm so I’ll have to counter that with if _I_ win, I get to take your beautiful Kawasaki motorcycle out for a spin’ she countered with a cheeky smile knowing that would push all his buttons.

‘No way! You couldn’t handle it’ he replied emphatically, already regretting getting into a bet. He knew she could ride a motorcycle, apparently Ms Bishop had gone a little bad-boy crazy back in college. But this was his most precious possession they were talking about!

‘Oh, I could handle it Nick, I could totally handle something big, impressive and revving between my thighs’ she purred right into his ear.

Ok, he choked a little on his beer. ‘You're not riding my bike Bishop’ he spluttered past his cough.

‘Who said I was talking about your bike?’ She asked innocently, taking a nonchalant sip from her own bottle.

‘Not fair B’ he huffed at her blatant teasing, ‘but if you really need me that badly… right here, right now babe’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ she groaned rolling her eyes, ‘you're all talk Torres! Yap, yap, yap,’ she complained, making a talking gesture with her hand. ‘Let’s see some action.’

‘You are not riding the bike’

‘That’s the bet. So, you had better rack them up and beat my ass… at pool Nick, head out of the gutter’ she laughed and slapped his butt playfully as she passed him.

He couldn’t wuss out, he had upped the stakes, she had called him on it.

They kept pace with each other for a while, but he was a couple of scores down before he realised what she was doing. She had unbuttoned her blouse a little at some point because he could definitely see the lace edge of her black bra as she leaned forward. She was positioning her ass right in front of him as she took shots, his breath hitched when she casually bent over the table shimmying her hips and lifting her leg to steady herself, her knee just flexed as she reached for a long top pocket shot.

‘I think I’ll head out to the coast on the bike tomorrow, get all wet, maybe all sandy between my… toes’

She was being deliberately provocative, sliding the cue forward and back between her fingers while lining up a ridiculously difficult ricochet pot. Damn the woman, her brothers had trained her well, she could make a fortune on a pool hustle.

‘I know what you're doing B’ he chided her quietly as he bent over the table eyeing up his own shot.

‘Is it working?’

‘No, I’m immune to your advances. You're not getting my bike’

‘Don’t play the game if you can’t take the pain Torres!’ she chirped.

‘I hope the fancy heels don’t give you blisters!’

‘My biker boots and leathers are well broken in’ she whispered as he took his shot, a sudden image of Ellie all kitted out and zipped into snug black leather sent a tremble down his hand and most of his blood south to his dick which translated into a skew-ways putt and Ellie taking a slam-dunk easy finisher.

Her gleeful winner’s dance was just cruel.

‘9 am tomorrow morning, I’ll be nice and even refill it with gas before I return it to you’

‘You're not having my bike’ he repeated stubbornly. ‘You're a capable woman but this is my bike were talking about, my baby’. She just scoffed at that.

‘Are you reneging on a bet Torres?’ she stood chest to chest with him pool cue still in hand and she taunted him, ‘is this you backing down, pussying out?’ She stuck her bottom lip out theatrically, ‘is that your pouty face?’

He would never live it down if he welched on it.

He had no idea where the growl came from, but he needed to take the triumphant smirk off her face.

He wanted to kiss her. That urge tugged at him all the time, and for the most part, he found ways to resist acting on it.

He hooked his finger into the waistband of her jeans, catching her off guard enough that she let out a little squeak and pulled her flush against him, closing the gap between their faces. It seemed completely natural the way she felt in his grasp, the way her hips tilted into his. His eyes flicked down to her lips and he watched as they parted, ready and expecting him to kiss her. He leaned in until their breaths mingled, mere millimetres between their lips and he smirked.

‘Your round’ he breathed out, barely above a whisper. For a fleeting second he saw her face fall before she smiled back and deliberately bumped her pelvis into his, reaching around him to grab her bag.

‘Beer or something… harder?’ she asked with only the hint of a suggestive look at his tightening below the belt area. He was suddenly very aware that the heat had cranked up between them. He managed a heavy swallow and eased himself into a laid-back pose, propping his ass on the pool table and he shrugged, leaving the decision up to her. On the way to the bar, she ran her fingers through her hair tousling up her locks, knowing full well what that did to him. She came back with two tequilas, salt and limes.

She had played him, but he could play her back.


	2. Raising the stakes

The next morning, he pulled up outside her apartment and before he turned off the ignition she was out, and it was worse than he had imagined. In his wildest dreams, he wouldn't have been able to come up with anything close to what Ellie looked like sauntering down her steps and walking slowly around his bike, running her fingertips over the paintwork, humming in appreciation. She was wearing a black, full-body catsuit of leathers, smooth and sleek over her every curve, her blonde hair loose and flowing over her shoulders as she tugged up the zip over her chest, snapping shut the pop button at her throat.

And the boots; sweet baby Jesus!

He pulled off his helmet, holding it on his lap but stayed seated on the bike, that position hid his _appreciation_ of the sight before him.

‘I didn’t think you’d actually come’ she quipped, her eyebrows raised in surprise almost to her hairline but she was hardly believable seeing as she was all dressed up in anticipation of his arrival.

‘Bet’s a bet, Bishop’ he swung his leg over the bike and popped the store area, pulling out the spare helmet. ‘This one will fit you better than mine’ he explained handing it to her.

He pulled the black leather key fob out of his pocket and dangled the single key between them.

She eyed the invitation and then quirked a curious brow at him. ‘You trust me?’

‘More than anyone’ he answered without hesitation. With a tilt of her head, she gave him a smile that punched him in the gut a little bit. Sometimes his feelings for her snook up on him.

She slipped the key from his finger and as he stepped back and watched her mount the bike he believed might possibly kill her, a new fear oozing up from his inside that chilled him. He felt his chest tightening even as she adjusted the mirrors and tested out the various dials, buttons and mechanical shifts, moving the bike back and forth, side to side with her feet firmly on the ground getting a feel for the vehicle.

‘Let’s do it, then’ she laughed gleefully no doubt taking in his rapidly paling face. Twisting her hair into a rope and she pulled on the helmet like she had done this a thousand times before. He was rapidly reassessing her brief account of being into bad-boy bikers back in university! She kicked the engine into gear and revved her up, whistling at the power of the motor.

‘She’s fast B, and heavy, be careful ok?’ Suddenly damage to the bike wasn’t his main concern. She rolled her eyes at him and revved her up some more, the rumble of the engine purring in his chest. He swallowed a golfball-sized chunk of anxiety.

She tutted at him in exasperation, ‘well are you getting on or do you need a golden invitation, Torres?’

‘ _What?_ You want me with you?’ he blurted in surprise.

‘Oh yeah, I’ll go easy but you best hold on tight’ she winked, a thrill of exhilaration glowing her face.

Shaking his head at her exuberance, he slapped his helmet on and swung up behind her. It had been years since he rode pillion and it was more than a little disconcerting to have Ellie’s leather-clad ass wedged into his crotch. He considered holding onto the rear hand-grabs for about thirty seconds but opted instead for putting his hands on her slim waist, hoping to assist with the weight of the bike as they took corners.

A couple of hissed _Santa Maria_ s slipped from his lips as they took off smoothly, a reflex reaction to not being in charge and to maybe the feel of Ellie’s thighs between his own when he clamped on tight.

‘Back seat drivers will be left at the side of the road Nick’ she warned and so he bit his tongue and tried to fight down the rising panic and the… rising _other_ thing.

He didn’t need to worry though.

Like in so many other ways Ellie surprised him. She was safe, competent and sexy as fuck on his bike.

They spent the day in Sandy Point Beach, under a warm sun and enjoying the soft onshore breeze after stripping off and leaving their gear in the boardwalk lockers. Her small backpack contained a summer dress and flip-flops that she changed into so she could indeed walk in the sand and let the tide ripple over her toes. His jeans got wet as he walked alongside her but he didn’t care. They had lunch in an airy beachside restaurant serving all you can eat Fish ‘n Chips, which was _a lot_ in Ellie’s case, and they sauntered along the wooden boardwalk eating ice-cream and watching the some weird, some amazingly talented, street performers doing their things.

When they got back to DC, back to her apartment he felt disappointed the day was over. Even after a whole day together he still craved her company.

‘So, um you want to go grab a drink or something?’ he asked casually.

‘Um sorry I can’t, I’m meeting Rob tonight for dinner’

‘Rob from last month? You still seeing him?’ she had mentioned him before a few weeks back but he had thought that was over. The glacial feeling hit the pit of his stomach…again.

‘Yeah, we’ve been on a couple more dates. He’s nice, fun and he’s gotten over the whole ‘Nick is just my work husband’ thing’

‘‘Work husband’?’ he barked out an incredulous laugh, he’d been called many things in his life but that was a new one!

‘Yeah well, I had to explain our _unusually_ close relationship, the long hours together, our nights out, the texts…’

‘Oh’ _Yeah, when you looked at it like that!_

‘Anyways I best get in and get changed, I’m all hot and sweaty…from the leather’s Nick!’ she scolded him when he bit his lower lip cheekily, barely holding back the lewd remark she guessed was coming from his mouth next.

‘Mm hum, you keep telling yourself that babe! Well, have a good night, I’ll see you Monday’

‘I had a really great time today Nick. Maybe we could do it again sometime?’ she suggested handing him back her helmet ‘I didn’t realise how much I missed being on a bike’ she added a little wistfully, her face a little glum.

‘Ok, how about a deal? Fair exchange is no robbery’

‘A _quid pro quo_?’

‘Yeah, you scratch my back I'll um, scratch yours’ he smirked, eyeing her up and down suggestively.

She tried to pull a school ma’am look of disapproval but she couldn’t help but crack an amused exasperated grin.

‘Go on, I’m listening’ she groused, curiosity getting the better of her.

‘Well I'll let you borrow the bike, with or without me tagging along, whenever you want _if_ you go to this damn wedding with me next Saturday’

‘Seriously?’ he wasn’t sure what part of the bargain was surprising her.

‘Yeah seriously. If I don’t bring a plus one Lucia will not only roast my nuts verbally and probably literally, she’ll sit me at the kiddie table for the whole thing!’

‘Now that I’d like to see!’

‘Which one?’

‘Either or both!’ she laughed. ‘Ok ok it’s a deal, I'll go to that damn wedding with you but as your work colleague and friend, _not_ your _date_ , I’m not going to lie to your family, agreed?’ she declared adamantly.

There was a lot in that statement but he swallowed the let-down and plastered on a carefree smile.

‘Deal Bish, thanks. Erm, it’s an overnight by the way, too far for a taxi if we're drinking so I’ll book you a room ok?’

‘Cool, I’ll need to take full advantage of the cocktail bar so my salsa is up to scratch, for a room full of Torres’s and I’ve seen you dance!’

‘I’ve seen your moves too B, smoking!’ he nodded appreciatingly as she wiggled her hips playfully.

She let out a peal of laughter, ‘that one time you saw me dance I was at least two bottles deep in free chardonnay, believe me, the alcohol helps!’ She pulled his wrist and looked at his watch, ‘Shoot, look at the time, gotta go!’ she rushed, leaning in and surprising him with a proper mouthy kiss, it was just a smidge longer than the other kisses they had shared and he was nanoseconds from deepening it, his tongue poised to explore past her warm opening lips. But she suddenly backed off and spun away.

‘Bye’ she called back over her shoulder, flicking her damp hair off her neck as she already started unzipping her leather suit covering her chest.

Breathless, she managed to leave him breathless.


	3. Risk it all

They had a busy week at work, both working separate cases, so they didn’t see much of each other. He really hoped they could both get finished-up early on Friday, himself especially so he could get organised for the wedding, his sister had sent him a list of things to do right after he had told her that Ellie was his guest. Lucia seemed surprised they were ‘friends’ and no more, and at his request of having her arrange another room for Ellie at the venue. She, along with everyone else it seemed, assumed they had moved things along to the next level ages ago.

Ok, their social media looked dubiously ‘coupley’, maybe they did spend a lot of time together?

Ellie had texted him several times during the week, quizzing him about the venue, the expected dress code and stuff. By the fifth text on Thursday night he just called her.

‘B, what’s with all the questions?’

‘It’s your _family_ Nick! And a Catholic church service, I want to dress appropriately’

‘Ellie, my family are relaxed about things, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll look beautiful’

‘Hmm’, she continued still not convinced, ‘what colour are the bridesmaids wearing?’

‘Huh?’

‘Guys have it so easy, any suit and tie and you’re done!!’ she tutted, ‘Nick I don’t want to clash, so what colour?’

‘How would I know?’

‘Well, what colours were on the invitation? Is there a dress code? Have you even looked at it?’ she asked dubiously.

‘Hold up’ he walked over to the pile of paperwork on his breakfast bar and pulled out the fancy invitation. He wasn't going to admit to Ellie that nope, he hadn't actually read past the ceremony date on the damn thing. ‘Um, it’s like plum-coloured print, with blackberries and leaves and stuff… ‘pleasure of your company… 1 o’clock St Bernadette’s for the Mass…Woodlands Estate for dinner and dancing under the trees. Wellies, wedges or wiggly toes, it’s a party so anything goes’ urgh!’ he read out to her barely able to keep his loathing for all things cutsie nuptial from his voice.

‘Oh, it sounds lovely, an autumn forest wedding’ she sounded a little dreamy.

‘Not you as well!’ he groaned ‘I should put you on the phone with Lucia, you two can go all theme colour googly eyes together. On second thoughts that’s an extremely bad idea, wedding planning is her guilty pleasure, she’d have us married inside a month!’ the words were out of his mouth before he realised what he’d even said.

‘Everyone has a guilty pleasure Nick’ she replied easily, awkwardness avoided. ‘So do you need me to do or pick up anything? I should be finished early tomorrow, and I know your case is still top-heavy?’

‘Urgh! Lucia sent me a list! But it’s cool I'll manage-,’

‘Ooh a list, I love lists! Seriously, just text me…’

And just like that she had taken over doing all the headache-inducing chores that needed doing because that’s what Ellie did, she always helped him out, shared the load.

They were partners, a team, they were…aw man, who was he kidding?

He knocked at her door a little before noon on Saturday, knowing they needed to load the car with their overnight luggage and the items she’d picked up for him that had to get to the church before the bridal party.

‘Come in, doors open!’ she hollered out and as he opened the door she called from deep inside the recesses of a far room ‘Two minutes and I’m ready’

‘Cool, I’m a little early’

‘Grab a couple of bottles of water from the fridge for the drive’ Ellie came out of her bedroom still talking, ‘and if you want to take the gift bags, they have the scented candles and prayer cards for the church, the box on the counter has the diabetic chocolate cake for your Aunt Carmella and um…what?’ she stopped abruptly her eyes flicking down over her dress, ‘Do I look ok? Is this dress alright?’ she asked anxiously.

Nick stood there gawping at her like an idiot, stunned into open-mouthed admiration. He had never seen Ellie really dressed up and she was jaw-droppingly gorgeous in a navy blue, off the shoulder, figure-hugging lace dress that finished just above her knee. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant, loose up-do soft with curls framing her face. She had managed to softly highlight her face with a little more make-up than usual, just enough to accentuate her mesmerising eyes...her soft pink lips...

_Fuck it was going to be a long day!_

‘I’ve got a pashmina to cover my shoulders for the church, I Googled it. But I can change-,’ she was already half turning back to the doorway.

‘Ellie’ he halted her with a hand on her wrist ‘you look stunning’ he complimented her and watched as a rosy blush coloured her cheeks. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked still uncertain.

‘Absolutely gorgeous’ He sucked in a gulp of air and prepared for another night of strained pants torture.

‘Thanks’ she relaxed a little and she wiggled her finger in a twirling motion telling him to do a 360 turnabout which he was more than happy to do.

‘Two-wit two-woo, you’re looking rather dapper yourself Torres’ and he couldn’t help but preen just a little. Without knowing or planning they actually coordinated. He was wearing a deep blue suit and soft pink tie, as per Lucia’s instructions, which matched her shoes and shawl.

He’d never hear the end of it from his sister!

The ceremony was nice, his cousin Adelina looked amazing, granted the last time he had seen her she was a tomboy fifteen-year-old and now she was a fully-grown, curvaceous bombshell of a bride. Eight years undercover, he had missed a lot, too much. The poor groom burst into tears as she arrived at the altar, resulting in a nauseating wave of ‘aww!’ rippling across the entire congregation mostly from the female element, Ellie included. She nudged him in the ribs when he rolled his eyes at her girliness.

After the service they drove out to the rural venue, the whole rustic theme evidenced by bales of straw for seating and berry flavoured cocktails in jam jars at the reception. Before being seated for the meal everyone lined up for obligatory ‘couple’ photos under a pretty archway made of autumn leaves and ribbons. He stood beside Ellie feeling as awkward as hell. She had been very clear with him, the deal was she was not there as his date and he didn’t want to piss her off already, that was until the photographer barked orders at them.

‘Closer, yeah closer, now squeeze in close’ he had his arm around Ellie’s lower back and she turned into him her hand placed lightly on his stomach and for a second he lost himself in the thought of how good, how natural they felt to be together like this.

‘And look at the camera, yeah now kiss-,’

‘Huh?’

‘Kiss your date’ the guy prompted like he was talking to a moron.

They turned to face each other and Ellie slipped her hands around his waist under his suit jacket, her eyes locked onto his and he noticed a soft smirk that curved her lips into a mischievous smile and before he knew it he had a hand on her cheek, the other on her hip and yeah he instinctively pulled her closer. He planned a short, standard-issue, for public consumption kinda kiss but Ellie had different ideas and so they kissed and carried on kissing until the guy interrupted them with a cough.

‘Yeah, got it guys, thanks’ he grizzled at them sarcastically, his arms crossed impatiently, ‘next couple please!’

Nick’s feet were still glued in place, his legs more than a little wobbly after _that_ kiss.

Ellie tugged at his hand and led him to the guest book signing table and they were met there by a thoroughly smug-looking Lucia.

‘Hey Hermana, you look lovely’ he leaned in a gave her a peck on the cheek, admiring her rosegold sparkly gown, 'Is Mama here?’ he asked in a low voice. 

‘Yeah, she’s sitting over there, you should go say hi’ she replied with a sigh.

‘I will, later’ his stomach clenched a little, so much time had passed since their arguments, but their relationship was still difficult. Ellie didn’t comment, he’d told her a long time ago that when it came to his mom things between them were complicated.

‘Agent Ellie Bishop’ Lucia pulled her into a tight hug, ‘lovely to see you again! Tell me, how in god’s name do you put up with my kid brother on a daily basis!’

‘Well, I’ve trained him up pretty well over the past couple of years, still a work in progress but he’s coming along!’ Ellie laughed giving Lucia a wink, ‘where’s Amanda, I’d love to catch up with her’

‘Over there, with her _boyfriend’_ she frowned as she emphasised the word.

‘Do I need to have _The Talk_ with him?’ Nick asked, cracking his knuckles ominously.

‘I already have, but feel free to elaborate on the death threat I've made to him if he hurts my little girl’ she leaned in and whispered ‘but you might want to rub that lipstick off first, champ!’ she winked at him. Of course she’d seen them kissing, his sister missed nothing!

‘So Ellie, bit of an issue, room mix up, there wasn’t one available at such short notice, so you can either share with him, or you take Nick’s room and he can bunk in with the kids, I’ve asked for a pull-out bed for him…’

‘Mix up my ass! You did that on purpose didn’t you!’ Nick gasped, accusing his sister of punishing him for messing up the damn printed table plans and within seconds the two of them were bickering like kids in a mixture of Spanish and English until he remembered that Ellie could understand every word.

Every- Damn- Word- as he argued that Lucia was also trying to interfere in his love life by contriving they sleep in the same bed and…

Ellie burst out laughing at his horrified face and let him squirm for a few seconds before she turned and said, ‘Guys it’s fine we can share, we’ve done it before when we’ve been on cases together and quit it Nick, it’s a hard no before you even get ideas!’

Nick backed away his hands held up defensively, ‘hey I can’t help it if you find me irresistible’ he teased. ‘I’ll be the innocent party! Lucia, maybe you should have the bar staff cut her off after what, ten margaritas-she can hold her drink but she gets a little um, handsy _'_ he teased rubbing his hand over his chest.

‘I do not!’ she scoffed, elbowing him in the gut even as her face roared into a blush.

'It’s sexual harassment really’ he shook his head sadly.

Lucia looked between the pair of them and gave him a withering look, ‘laters, Nicky No Pants’

_Aww man!_

‘You're a horrible sister, Loopy Loo!’

‘Nicky No pants?’ Ellie sniggered ‘Ok I’ve gotta know!’ and he just knew she absolutely would not quit until she heard the whole embarrassing saga that had followed him since age six.

‘It’s nothing, just when I was a little kid, I stripped off a lot, no big deal’ he shrugged glibly.

‘There has to be more to it, I’ll just go ask her-,’ she turned like she was about to follow Lucia

‘No!’ he blurted as he grabbed her hand pulling her back, knowing Loo’s version of the story would be _way_ more embarrassing and colourful than his own.

‘Oh, this must be good!’ she chortled rubbing her hands together gleefully.

‘Honestly, it's not that exciting, so I kinda ran naked around the house-.’

‘Well, kids do that’ she responded understandingly but she bit down on her lip, holding in a smile as she waited for the punchline she knew was coming.

‘Um yeah, when my grandfather was laid out in his coffin in the living room and the whole family were saying the Rosary, with Sister Regina, and I thought it was a chasing game and it took a while to catch me…ok Ellie, yeah go on, keep chuckling’ he chanted then he stifled a groan and threw his head back in shame. ‘Aww man!’ he closed his eyes, already regretting giving her that tidbit. ‘Ok quit laughing now, you're turning blue’ he pointed out drolly.

_Fuck, I’ll never live this down!_

He gave her another minute to get her breath back from laughing.

He took it on the chin really. Better she laugh it out now, he was quite sure some aunt or cousin would bring it up during the day. They had probably stored up anecdotes for years, this was the first family wedding he’d attended in almost a decade!

After the meal the tables were pulled back and the dancing started and for once he just went with it, he and Ellie goofing about, both spinning and twirling together and he extravagantly dipping her, reducing her to tears of laughter at his antics. Then the music slowed, the soft tune spun like gossamer thread around them, pulling them nearer, cocooning them in their own world.

‘Are you having a good time, it hasn’t been too horrible has it?’

She smiled and shook her head as he took her hand and twirled her into his arms, ‘its been fun Nick, your family are lovely’

He drew her close to his chest, his hands hovering slightly south of her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hair or maybe her skin smelled of something soft and herbal and warm, a scent that he couldn’t name other than to say it was uniquely Ellie.

Uncontrollable feelings, emotions, surged through his body, and his fingers tingled, itching to trace circles on the small of her back. She rested her head on his shoulder, he could just feel her warm breath on his neck above his shirt collar. They swayed their bodies vaguely in time to the music, letting the rhythm control their movements. All the scenery and the people around them dissolved. It felt like it was him and EIlie, alone.

She began to move her hand to brush away her stray lock of hair that had escaped with all their earlier spinning, but his own hand clutched onto hers, stalling her and he delicately tucked her curl behind her ear. His hand brushed across her cheek, and he felt his chest constrict, his breathing halted, his body acting on its own. He really, really wanted to kiss her, like properly, no overthinking of the consequences or the reasons not to... She must have seen where his thoughts were headed because she pulled back a little and there was maybe a second or two of hesitation as her hazel eyes gauged his intent and a smile spread across her beautiful face.

Her lips went to his ear as she whispered ever so softly.

‘So, you do know how to be romantic’

‘It’s one of my many skills’

‘Well if we weren’t partners, yeah it would probably definitely work on me’ she joked, and his heart sunk. She wasn’t challenging him on their status, she was confirming it.

‘Really?’ he smirked, desperately trying to cover his disappointment.

‘Yeah totally’ she laughed lightly, ‘ _way_ better than your cheesy chat ups!’

‘Hey, don’t dis the lines!’ he playfully scolded her and they were just about to start in on another bantering conversation when the music changed to an upbeat boyband number from way back when and the DJ demanded all the ladies up onto the dance floor and Ellie was dragged away by Amanda to join the others.

He stood at the bar, quietly drinking a beer watching his partner bop along with his niece, copying the silly dance routines, both busting their guts laughing and he felt a nudge at his elbow.

‘Nick, go talk to mom’

‘Stop meddling Lucia, you’ve done enough today’ he growled at her but with no real heat in his irritation.

‘I had nothing to do with the room mix up Nick’ she held up her fingers doing a ‘scout’s honour’ sign. ‘But seriously, I call bullshit’

‘What?’

‘You and Ellie _just_ friends? I call bullshit’ she took a sip from her glass, her eyebrow arched as she shoved her challenge in his face.

‘That’s what we are Loo, partners who've admitted they are attracted to each other but who aren’t gonna go down that road and we’re cool with that’

‘Partners, who make out?’

‘Yeah, we’ve kissed… now and again’ he answered evasively, damn her lawyer interrogative skills.

She sighed and shook her head.

‘You light up around her. I’ve never seen you so happy, a real smile on that ridiculously handsome face’ she squished his cheeks with her hand playfully, pinching until his lips puckered up like she'd done when he was her chubby baby brother but she still looked concerned.

So he told her the reasons; the job, the rules, the risks.

‘You’ve got the whole thing figured out, haven’t you? Very noble, and also the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard’

‘Is not!’ he spat back.

‘Is too!’ she snapped back childishly, ‘Nick you’ve spent years undercover _lying_ and now you’re free of that life but you’re still lying, to yourself and to Ellie. And I’m guessing she’s been through the mill before and maybe she’s hiding her feelings too’. He knew Ellie was divorced and her boyfriend Qasim had been murdered but he wasn’t going to tell his sister about that; ‘I told you so’s’ were a pain in the ass!

‘Every day is a risk Nick, you could choke on a meatball, get hit by a bus or get blown up. Your jobs are risky yes, but don’t waste good. Don’t be lonely’ she said sadly, and he really looked at her; she still hadn’t moved on from the death of her husband. He put down his drink and gave his big sister a proper hug. She had always looked out for him, he really needed to step up and return the favour.

Their touching Hallmark moment lasted all of thirty seconds before she poked him in the ribs.

‘Get your head out of your ass! And _fast_ , because if you don’t grab that happiness’ she tilted her chin and glanced pointedly towards Ellie still on the dancefloor, ‘someone else will Nick, and you’ll be left on the side-lines watching and wishing you had when you had the chance’.

At the end of the night, with a lot on his mind, they waved off the happy couple and both he and Ellie a little tipsy, they strolled arms linked along the grassy pathway and headed up to the accommodation lodge house. Ellie was barefoot, her fancy shoes dangling from her hand, his jacket draped over her shoulders to keep off the chill of the autumn night, and his free hand held a bottle of pilfered leftover prosecco for a nightcap.

‘You're quiet’ Ellie said tugging on his elbow rousing him from his thoughts.

‘What? Oh nah, just thinking about stuff, my mom…’

‘She seems nice’, she said carefully, diplomatic as ever. His mom had found _him_ in the end, and she had been pleasant, greeting Ellie politely, sweetly even. She seemed very happily surprised when Ellie answered her back in fluent Spanish. There had been no cross words today and she had pulled him into a tight hug before she excused herself to go talk to his aunt, mercifully before anything kicked off.

Nick used the key card to open the door and Ellie flopped onto the king-sized bed.

‘God I’m starving! Do you think there’s a vending machine?’

‘Better! As a sorry for the fuck up over the room I ordered you a snack platter, it should be here in about-,’

There was a knock at the door ‘room service’ was called out and he smirked taking a theatrical bow like he was a superhero saving the day!

‘Oh my god Nick, you are a-maz-zing! Two minutes, I’m slipping into something more comfortable’ she wiggled her eyebrows her voice heavy with comical innuendo and dashed to the bathroom with her overnight bag. When she next appeared her hair was down, her make-up was washed off and she was wearing pretty, floral PJs, not her usual loungy leggings and tee-shirt that she’d wear watching movies at home with him but nor was it a sexy negligee. He still couldn’t take his eyes off her as they sat companionably on the bed, he propped against the pillows and she crisscrossed opposite him. She noticed him looking at the, unusually for her, matching nightclothes.

‘Posh hotel, posh pyjamas…like, what if the fire alarm went off, I’d be so mortified the stuff I usually sleep in’ she explained with a shrug, diving into the nachos and mozzarella balls.

‘Worse for me, I sleep naked!’

‘Not tonight you don’t!’

He was about to answer back when her phone pinged and she rolled across the bed and read the message, typing something back quickly.

‘Please tell me that’s not a major case!’ It was well after 1 am, he couldn’t imagine anyone other than work contacting them.

‘Nah, just Rob checking in, asking how the night went’.

_Oh._

‘You told him you were here, with _me_?’ he asked sceptically, that level of candour between them was unnerving.

‘Yeah’ she admitted, ‘I don’t lie…though I may _omit_ to tell him about sharing the bed with you, a step too far I think!’ she grinned. He was all out of comebacks and could only sit there slack-jawed, looking like an idiot.

Her phone pinged again, her face illuminated both with the screen light and with her avid expression. Absurdly irritated he threw down his unfinished chicken strip and nodded towards the bathroom, taking his own bag with him.

He brushed his teeth, splashed cold water on his face and stood looking at himself in the mirror.

_What the actual fuck am I doing?_

Ellie was perfect, she was his best friend, he was happy and contented and lighter around her. He told her stuff that he had kept bottled up for years, and she never judged, she always supported him.

And he was crazy about her.

Her kisses did _things_ to him, shit, her every touch, every look and every word did _things_ to him. And she was in the next room, on the bed they would share, talking to some other guy. He was already watching from the sidelines as someone else moved in on her just as Lucia had warned him.

But Ellie was happy with Rob, right? He couldn’t ask her if they were sleeping together but doing the maths six maybe seven dates in, if they hadn’t yet, they would soon. His stomach felt sick, maybe the chicken was off?

This arrangement, to acknowledge their chemistry, to kiss without consequence but go no further, because of the job, that was _her_ choice too. They were never exclusive. She had been straight with him from the start. If she’d decided to continue to date Rob, maybe that relationship had moved up a gear and was maybe getting serious?

But _she_ had kissed him last week after the bike trip, and today with the photo.

Rule 12.

Now he really understood it!

The distraction, clouded judgement, second-guessing, feeling hurt and jealous and fuck, this is why dating a co-worker or having these feelings was a bad idea. When things went bad it made working together impossible and if they went well and they were involved romantically one of them would have to be reassigned, safety protocols blah, blah, Gibbs death-stare, blah!

‘Work spouses’ were supposed to be totally platonic; he had Googled it and he and Ellie _weren’t_ that. They weren’t technically ‘friends with benefits’ either. ‘It’s complicated’ didn’t even cover it!

He had no idea what they were anymore but this, whatever it was, _had_ to stop.

Being partners, being friends with her was too important to fuck up. He needed to dial it back to _before_ , to before that first kiss, back to solid ground, he had to redraw that line in the sand.

When he tiptoed out of the bathroom, wearing a tee-shirt and his boxers she was already snuggled up under the covers on one side of the bed with only his bedside lamp softly lighting the room. He eased himself in on the other side and quietly switched off the light trying not to wake her, but she was still awake.

‘I had a really good time today Nick’ she muttered her chirpy voice a little drowsy.

‘Me too. Night Bishop’ he didn’t exactly snap but even to his ears it sounded a little abrupt and it felt all kinds of wrong.

‘Um, you ok?’ she asked, suddenly more awake, her tone confused. He felt the sheets move as she reached out her hand and gently touched his shoulder but he carefully moved away, faking a yawn and thumping his already comfortable pillow,

‘Mm hum’ he replied flatly. When he didn’t make a further comment, he heard her swallow nervously.

‘Night Nick’ she mumbled dolefully.

If it was possible to feel like a bigger asshole, he really didn’t want to know. She must have thought that his going cold on her after a wonderful day together was because he was annoyed with _her_ , not his _own_ messy emotions.

It wasn’t fair. The closer they got, the farther away he had to hold her. But he hadn’t taken the NCIS job because the world was fair. Still, he had to start somewhere, to pull back to safer territory, so he turned his back to her and moved as far away from her as he could in the bed, reducing the risk of an accidental roll together during the night, because if they touched like that, the way he felt about her, all bets were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two songs in my head writing this chapter,  
> I imagine them dancing to 'I'm Yours' Jason Miraz and Nick's feelings at the end 'Let Her Go' by Passenger.


	4. Pushing your luck

He was angry with himself, but he was pissed with her too if he was honest. She shouldn’t have kissed him like _that_ at the damn photo thing if she had a boyfriend!

He didn’t sleep that night; couldn’t, wouldn’t, too afraid he’d succumb in his nonconscious state to the desire burning in his heart, in his soul…in his _pants_!

Ellie Bishop was in his bed and he itched with a feral craving to just touch her. It would be so easy, just to roll over towards her and pull her close and just kiss her…for starters. He imagined her responding to his touch, her body melting against his, warm and wet, sweaty and slick…

He steadfastly stayed awake and firmly…very uncomfortably _firm_ , on his own side of the bed.

He couldn’t even dip his own hand south and sort himself out without waking her. Yeah, try explaining _that_ to his ever-observant, smart-mouthed partner! A raging hard-on for hours he could just about tolerate. Fucking up his friendship and work relationship with Ellie he could not. He made it as far as dawn, the light of the autumn morning flooded the room and he allowed himself a couple of minutes to just look at her. They were facing each other but still a wide, safe, chasm separated them down the middle of the bed. A no-touch, demilitarized zone, a buffer shield, protecting them both.

He watched as the golden sunlight illuminated her face, soft and unguarded in her somnolent state. Her hair was all fussed and crazy, her lips were parted just a little almost in a childish pout and he might even tease her later about her snoring, not that it was _terrible_ , the slightly snorty whistle was more endearing than anything. He adored that she could sleep so soundly in his presence, 100% trust.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

His mouth was dry as he tried again to swallow down the want, the need to touch her…maybe just to brush her hair back from her cheek with his fingertips? That wouldn’t be breaking the rules, right?

_Yeah, it would._

He reminded himself about his newly re-established line in the sand, repeating his new mantra: partner, colleague, friend. She had a boyfriend and it wasn’t him.

He snuck out from under the covers and slipped into the bathroom. A cold shower might have been a better idea but instead, he went for a hot, bubbly, brisk and totally unsatisfactory jerk-off under the spray. In his desperate rush to find some kind of release he unthinkingly hadn’t brought any clothes with him, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and covertly tiptoed out into the room, hoping to grab his bag and retreat into the steamy recesses of the bathroom to get dressed.

‘You're up early’. Of course, she was awake and sitting up, legs crisscrossed, hands attempting to comb her tangled mop of hair into a semi-tamed order. He noticed her head was tilted as she eyed him speculatively. She did that exact pose in the interrogation room with suspects, then waited, her unspoken questions eventually rattled them into submission.

‘Sorry, did I wake you?’ He suddenly he wondered if his muted, stifled moans under the pressurised shower jets really had been quiet enough after all. His face warmed with pre-emptive embarrassment as he flicked a glance at her and caught a vaguely stunned look on her face. Her eyes were focused on his naked, still damp chest, her lower lip caught in her teeth like she was pondering something and then he realised- she was checking him out!

‘What? Um no,’ she answered distractedly, a guilty expression flashing across features before a blasé smile was locked in place.

There were so many teasing comments he could make; ‘like what you see?’ or ‘Bishop, you're drooling’ were on the tip of his tongue but he refrained. Stubbornly he returned her gaze, a dangerous game of ‘blinkmanship’ developing. Her face reddened, maybe realising she had been caught ogling him and her mouth dropped open. Whatever she was about to say didn’t materialise as she delicately cleared her throat and pulled her eyes away from his.

‘Are you finished in the bathroom?’ she asked calmly though he could clearly see her neck to her cheeks still darkening with a creeping flush.

‘Yeah, I can get dressed out here if you want to, um…’ he thumbed towards the door trying really hard not to think of her taking a shower, rivulets of steamy water running over her curves, lather between her- _ok quit it, Torres!_ His towel pitched into a tent as his dick started twitching and valiantly rising again even contrary to his mental orders.

‘I’ll get us some breakfast and ah, do you mind if we head back to the city early? I have a couple of things to do and I really want to hit the gym today?’

‘Fine with me Nick’ she yawned, stretching her arms above her head and exposing her bare midriff. Rolling his eyes heavenward, he sat on his side of the bed to conceal his now _very_ alert boy and busied himself flicking through his phone as she gathered what she needed. He didn’t look up again until he heard the bathroom door close. He did note that she didn’t turn the lock and battered down the thoughts of just joining her in the shower and instead told himself he wasn’t a dick, she trusted him to respect her privacy and _she has a boyfriend_ he all but screamed at himself!

He took his time over at the main lodge giving her plenty of time to do whatever, while picking up a plate of freshly-baked, sweet pastries for Ellie, a smoothie for himself and a couple of coffees to go. Even though it was early, his sister was up, still taking her Matron of Honour role seriously, directing guests to the various breakfast options and thanking them for coming.

She copped his painted-on, neutral expression and sighed.

‘Still an idiot I see’

‘It’s complicated Loo, just leave it be’ he muttered.

‘Ok, ok, apparently you really _can’t_ fix stupid, huh?’ she snarked. ‘What time are you guys heading back to DC? I need a favour’

‘What?’ he asked suspiciously.

‘Can you give Amanda and the boyfriend a lift back. She needs to hit the library to finish an assignment due in tomorrow and I’m going to be held up here today. Eric lives on campus so you can just dump them both out at Georgetown Uni’.

‘Sure Loo, no problem’

‘What no counter-bargaining? No argument?’ her eyebrows raised in astonishment.

‘Nope, I can help out, purely altruistically’ he extolled with a martyred expression.

She wasn’t convinced and she’d be right. His easy acceptance of having two loved-up teens in the car helped _him_ out too; it’d take the pressure off having to talk about that kiss yesterday, and his distance last night.

Another buffer zone.

Eric nervously sat with him up-front and the girls sat in the back chatting and whispering and ok, he checked his rear-view mirror more frequently than absolutely necessary, as her face lit up with easy laughter and secret nudges between them. Ellie just seemed to fit in with his family, well, the only part of his family that really mattered to him.

He dropped Ellie off first and there was an awkward moment where he didn’t know whether to kiss her, hug her or punch her arm playfully like she was one of the guys. His every word and action were being scrutinised by his niece; no doubt under strict instruction to report back to her mother. Ellie fixed the problem by pecking him on the cheek as she grabbed her bag from his hand, her fingers stalling as they brushed against his.

‘Can you manage?’ he asked hoarsely.

‘Yeah thanks, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?’ she locked eyes with him and there was a question or a challenge there, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. He mmhummed nonchalantly, and the moment passed. She bid goodbye to the teens in the car and waved back at him before disappearing into her building. Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head like he was an idiot. He couldn’t argue with that.

That week at work he went out of his way to put distance between them. He cut down on the wise-cracks and cut out the teasing banter, avoided hanging out at her desk and kept things friendly but strictly professional. He ran every morning at the crack of dawn, pounding the streets trying to drive her out of his head. Every evening, instead of going for beers or a take-out, he hit the gym, trying to sweat out his desire for her.

Nothing really worked and the bewildered, hurt look on her face as he made bland excuses was killing him.

Friday came around and he was glad for the weekend, relieved he wouldn’t have to _actively_ deprive himself of her presence. They had been working cold cases together and just the day before Ellie had made a tenuous and yet brilliant link in a numbers trail that today led to the arrest of a high-ranking officer blackmailing Sec Nav personnel, who admittedly were having illicit affairs so he didn’t exactly feel sorry for them. As always, a case closed celebration was called for and as Ellie had ingeniously cracked the case, Vance announced another commendation was heading her way.

That evening he hung back at his desk waiting for everyone to leave. When the bullpen was quiet, he thought he’d gotten away with it but looking up there she was, hovering at the side panel of her cubical obviously waiting for him.

‘So, you coming, or are you still avoiding me?’ she called him out bluntly.

‘I’m not- I’m not avoiding you B, I’ve just been busy’

‘Busy, huh?’ she nodded unconvinced, ‘I mean, everyone already left. They’re probably all out starting the partying without us.’

He took a breath and plunged in. ‘Yeah, well, they’re gonna have to party without me, tonight.’

‘What?’ she sounded immediately concerned. ‘Why? Are you- is everything ok?’

‘I, um have this new regime with a new personal trainer, no exceptions no excuses.’

She stared. ‘Are you serious?’ She knew a whiff of bullshit when she smelled it and wasn’t going to back down. ‘You can hang out at the gym any night.’ When he remained silent, she went for cajoling sunshine, which she knew full well usually disarmed him effectively.

‘It’s our anniversary! It – I’m, _we’re_ officially one hundred cases solved together. This only happens once, Torres.’

Only Bishop would keep a mental tally of the cases they had worked and wrapped up together!

‘I wasn’t really involved in this one, I just irritated you until the theory popped into your head’ he corrected her pedantically.

‘But you irritate me so well, like _nobody_ irritates me as constructively as you Nick!’ she added wryly.

‘As your partner, I’m there for the important parts, like having your back.’

‘Yeah, you are and now you should be there for the fun parts, too.’

‘I can’t B, I’m busy tonight.’ He felt like a chump lying to her.

‘Too busy to come out to celebrate with the team? Not even for me?’ she wheedled. ‘Come on, it'll be fun’ she pleaded softly. _Ah_. Now he understood and felt even worse. She was hoping to clear the air after last weekend and get them back to their old normality.

‘I’m sorry’ he shook his head adamantly knowing throwing alcohol and Ellie together in the mix would be dangerous, ‘but hey, have one for me ok?’ His lame attempt at an apology fell flat even to his own ears. Ellie’s smile fell and she threw him a sad little look as she turned to go.

This was more than just Ellie sulking up a storm. She was hurt by his distance and knew he was hiding something from her, which made the hurt all the worse. Even after all this time, years after her husband cheated on her, personal betrayal was an automatic assumption for her to grasp onto, and it killed him to think she might be feeling that way about him.

‘I’m sure you and the guys will have a great night. You won’t even miss me’, he teased hoping to soften his rejection of her olive branch.

She gasped, mock-wounded, and gave that silly laugh that always did something to his guts.

‘Well, there’s only one way to find that out, isn’t there?’ she asked, half in jest and half in challenge.

He considered her, her slim curves backlit against the hall window in her delicate, cream camisole and suede jacket, her hair sort of waving like the sea around her bright face, and her eyes dancing as together they played their game again. 

She looked so fucking pretty and feisty and warm that he just wanted to wrap his arms around her, _and if I’m honest, kiss that smart mouth quiet for a while before I rip that…_

And there it was. That was exactly why he couldn’t go there. A kiss would never be enough.

Their decisions on the job took maybe a second to make, and if he was thinking at all about being concerned for her or wanting her as anything more than a partner, or by pissing her off by making a split-second call she didn’t agree with, they were both compromised.

And he _needed_ her as a partner, after years alone as a lone-wolf, undercover agent, he needed her and he needed his new pack, this team. She grounded him and keep him from falling apart when the past, his darkness, threatened to catch up with him. He could never have _that_ with another partner.

He watched her leave and instantly missed her presence. Hardening his heart again he finished packing up and headed to the dingy NCIS gym. There was no new trainer, it was just him and he didn’t like lying to her but now he had a couple of hours to punish himself through sweaty jabs and pummelling blows on the old punchbag.

Only tonight he wasn’t alone, Sloane was already there, focused with unwavering determination on beating ten shades of crap out of _his_ punchbag.

‘Hey Nick, thought you’d be out drinking?’ she grunted as she lined up another volley of punches.

‘Nah, I’m trying to stick to a new training routine’ the lie came easier now after he’d said it to Ellie.

‘Mm-Hum. Isn’t it Bishop’s celebration night tonight?’

‘Yeah, it’s cool, I told her I wasn’t going out tonight. Anyway, I wasn’t really working on that case, it’s _her_ win’ he explained in far too many words. He carefully wound his knuckle wraps with practised ease and took over on the bag as Jack stepped back and pulled off a glove to take a drink.

‘Hhm’ she shrugged noncommittally.

‘ _What?_ Say what’s on your mind, Jack’ he almost spat out at her, all her penetrating knowing looks were worming into his already fragile hold on his temper. She rested her fists on her hips assertively, well-prepared for him and his shitty humour. Sloane had her own dark history and personal struggles. He respected her but he didn’t have to like her just now as she skewered him.

‘Ok, _why_ are you hiding out here and not out partying with Ellie really? I thought you two were …close?’

‘We’re _partners_ Jack, that’s it.’ he snapped.

‘Have you two had a fight?

‘ _No_! No, of course not! I know everyone thinks that we hook up or are together or something but we’re not like that, it’s just gossip and I’m sick of it-,’

‘Whoa, whoa, slow down Nick!’

‘Sorry, I’m just a little pissed off I guess’

‘So, Ellie being miserable-,’

‘Nothing to do with me-,’ he defensively blurted over her.

‘-as you pretty much ignored and shut her out all week was _what_? A totally platonic lover’s tiff?’

‘I did not _ignore_ her! We’re not any kind of lovers- even-,’ he slapped his mouth shut.

 _Shit!_ He’d given her an ‘in’.

‘Even if _you_ wanted to be?’ she finished succinctly and a little sadly.

‘Maybe’ he admitted barely above a whisper.

‘Just maybe, huh?’

‘Look we _can’t_ ok, Gibbs’s rule 12! I get it, the risk of a moment of distraction when it really counts and one or both of us getting hurt or killed. Or we get together then break up and despise each other. Either way puts an end to us working together, so we just can’t and we’re cool with that.’

‘So, you're staying _just_ friends and partners, no matter the cost?’ she needled, forcing him to say more than he already had against his better judgement.

‘What _cost_? I’m keeping her safe. It’s better this way and she has a boyfriend anyway so it’s all moot’ he brushed his hurt feelings aside and threw it all into some savage jabs on the punchbag.

‘If that’s the case, why are you being a shitty partner and a crappy friend?’ she levelled at him.

‘What?’ his hands dropped as the shock wave of her words stunned him.

‘You’re her partner, you should be celebrating with her instead you’ve publicly snubbed her and added fuel to the rumour mill. Your absence will confirm rather than contradict there’s something going on between you’

‘I didn’t- I mean I never saw it like that’

‘You guys were fine last week, what changed?’

‘Nothing, just things are getting complicated and I think a little headspace is for the best’ he reasoned evasively.

‘Things like _feelings_? Never mind, no need to answer that one’ she smiled sagely. ‘Nick, really think about what you want. If you two have talked and decided to be friends, cool. Then be her friend. If you can’t, then you guys really need to have another talk because this is hurting you both and it will only become toxic.’

 _Toxic_ , exactly what he doesn’t want, what all this was trying to avoid. They needed to talk, to be sure they were on the same page.

Tonight was as good a time as any.

He headed home and changed then went to the bar where he knew everyone would be. If he was lucky, she hadn’t had too many yet, but at least he could walk her home after the party – nobody could fault him for that – and they could talk later maybe over pizza like they usually did.

He took a breath and headed in the pub door. He spotted her blonde head immediately; she was at the corner of the bar dwarfed between McGee, Palmer and a tall dude. The place was an overheated cacophony of music and shouting and glasses clinking, but she still turned towards him as if he’d called her name.

Her entire being seemed to light up with a grin, and she put her beer back on the bar as she hopped off the stool. He wound his way between the tables and planted his feet just in time to catch Ellie as she pitched herself at him. Ok maybe she’d already had a few.

‘You’re here!’ she said beaming up at him, thumping his chest. ‘I knew you’d come.’

‘You did, huh?’ he replied, unable to suppress his usual smirk.

‘Yeah, I can’t celebrate without my partner, Nick’ she blinked owlishly. ‘I was just telling Rob that it’s our one-hundredth anniversary. He wanted to know if there was a Hallmark card for that’ she laughed pointing to the tall guy.

_So that’s Rob. Great, just fucking great._

Next thing he knew he was being dragged over to meet Rob while the whole team and their sundry significant others watched their exchange with bated breath. They shook hands manfully and politely made some small-talk but there was a low-level hostility there. They both took the measure of each other and neither liked what they saw.

If it came to a scrap, they’d be evenly matched. Rob wasn’t exactly the librarian type, he worked out, he looked like he could handle himself. Nick scoured his memory trying to remember what Ellie said this guy did for a living. He realised he tuned out whenever she spoke about dates with guys, all he knew about Rob was that he was on the scene a few weeks now…too long.

She didn’t seem particularly _romantic_ with Rob, for which he’d be eternally grateful. She chattered away not grasping just how awkward this threesome conversation was. Tipsy Ellie underscored their partnership familiarity with playful nudges and shoulder slaps as the banter leaned heavily towards the job and some of the random weird cases they’d worked on together. Rob bristled at being out of the loop with their in-house gags, his head flitting back and forth between them as they joked. Almost in retaliation he draped himself over her, there was no other way to describe it; he was staking his claim, almost goading Nick to react.

But that was just his own mind rationalising it. Rob wasn’t the bad guy. They were a couple; _he_ was the third wheel. Nick’s stomach churned with nausea as Rob leaned down and whispered something into Ellie’s ear and she giggled and glowed in return.

He had left this all too late.

He had to go home before they got anymore cosy, _that_ was not an image he wanted in his head. He left some money on the bar to cover his drink with another couple for Ellie and tapped her on the elbow, flicking his head towards the door.

‘I’m um, going to head home’

‘Are you leaving? But you only just got here!’ she wailed, genuine disappointment on her face.

‘Um yeah, I’m whacked’ Nick noted that Rob stood back a little, slugging on his beer, a smug look on his face. ‘Anyways you have a date, remember? He might get jealous’ he theatrically whispered as he nudged her, teasing her with forced good-humour.

‘Oh it’s cool’ she scoffed, ‘Rob knows we come as a package deal’ she replied airily, turning a little to smile back at the dude.

‘He does, huh?’ Could she really be that naïve?

‘Yeah, I mean we’re just your average work-husband and work-wife out celebrating our anniversary, nothing to see here officer!’

‘Fuck, he’s a cop, isn’t he?’ Nick groaned, he could see a shit load of parking tickets and speeding violations heading his way.

‘Infernal Affairs’ she nodded and snorted a little laugh. ‘Stay’ she blurted suddenly all serious.

‘I can’t tonight. I just wanted to see you, to congratulate my partner on her well-deserved commendation’. He pulled her in for a quick, tight hug, dropping a chaste kiss on her hair. It was the first time they had touched since the wedding and it sent an electric jolt through him.

He needed air.

He was three steps away from her when he felt a tug on his arm. He halted and turned around. There she was with narrowed, puzzled eyes and a worried expression, her hand still on his forearm.

‘Nick? Are we ok?’ her breath hitched as she asked.

‘Always B’. He hoped she didn’t read too much into his raspy voice as he tried to sound upbeat. ‘There’s a martini or two on the tab for you. Have a good night ok?’

He was about to say, ‘text me when you get home safe’, but tonight she had someone else to watch over her. They stood doing that staring at each other thing again, her mouth opened and closed like she needed to tell or ask something, his eyes pleading with her to just say the word, anything, that would break this new deadlock between them.

‘I’ll see you Monday for case number 101’ she eventually chirped with forced brightness.

‘Sure thing, B’ he waved over her shoulder towards the rest of the team and even at Rob. He could be the bigger man, well, until he got outside the bar, then he was seething. His fists were clenched so tight he could feel his nails, short as they were, almost draw blood on his palms. He would just love to jaw the guy for no other reason than he existed.

He had to get a grip. He upped his gym regime and his at-home whiskey intake. Neither would ever replace her, but they numbed the pain and dulled the dreams.

Case number 101 was just a literal pain in the ass. They’d spent hours sat in the car, parked up on a side street staking-out a Russian mobster, Ivan Galinachev and his cartel. The bastard was trying every old trick in the book to hide his nefarious new business venture of loan-sharking to Navy Cadets. Predictably when the repayment money ran dry the guy’s thugs put pressure on the cadets to pay back in military information or get battered to a pulp. As always with the Russian mafia, body bags mounted up quickly; they didn’t hesitate to eliminate competition or adversaries. Now NCIS just needed Galinachev in the same place as their informant Lt. Gardner on a wire and boom case solved, evidence seized, prosecution a given, home for supper!

‘Ok, I need a pee and a coffee, you?’ Ellie had been in good form since Monday and after days of being stuck in this car together, it seemed like they were back on an even keel, their banter was fun and cheeky but nothing too risqué. She didn’t mention Rob and he didn’t ask.

Ignorance really was bliss.

‘Yeah, I’ll take a coffee, I’m ok for the pee’ he smiled, stretching his arms over his head, rolling his stiff shoulders and stifling a yawn. They still had three more hours of this crap until the night-shift team took over their watch.

‘Okie Dokie. Back in five’, she promised after first doing a look-about to check for any suspicious activity.

He watched as she scurried off to the corner coffee shop and continued his surveillance of the doorway into the innocuous ‘Russian Cultural Centre’ shop facade, a front for the gang.

A few minutes later Ellie emerged from the deli, a coffee cup in each hand and predictably a paper bag held in her teeth, probably containing muffins or some other baked treat. He couldn’t help but smile as she walked towards him balancing the hot paper cups trying to look inconspicuous.

He could only see her eyes past the paper bag dangling from her mouth, but in an instant, something changed- a flicker of horror or fear crossed her face.

She was looking at something over his shoulder, behind him somewhere, and in a split second she dropped the bag and the cups, oblivious to the scalding liquid splashing her feet and she reached for her weapon at her hip.

The blast of bullets hit before she’d even raised her gun.


	5. Against the odds

He knew he couldn’t have heard her in real life, but he clearly heard her voice scream ‘get down!’ on the inside of his head, as crazy as that sounded. 

He had no time to puzzle over it, he just reacted, diving for cover in the car even as the side-window exploded, bullets blitzing through the driver’s door, riddling the headrest with holes. His ears roared with the booming of gunfire. He rolled into a ball in the footwell of the passenger side, and he hissed in pain as his skin stung, sliced and smarted as smashed glass rained down on him and debris peppered the interior, shredding his own and the seat Ellie had been sitting in just minutes before.

When the barrage of bullets finally stopped, he scrabbled with bloodied fingers until he found the handle, popped it and pushed the passenger door open. More than a little worse for wear and cursing like a pirate, he crawled out and hit the wet, glass-shard littered pavement with a thunk, ducking his head for cover under the chassis.

‘ _Ellie!_ Ellie?’ he bellowed out as panic gripped him. He couldn’t hear any reply as his ears only whirred in a high-pitched whistle, temporarily deafened after the almost point-blank gunfire. Worse was the blood dripping freely into his eyes, blinding him with a sticky crimson film that clouded and blurred his vision. Roughly wiping away the blood with the hem of his shirt, he risked a glance over the hood, searching for Ellie and looking for shooters, trying to determine where to aim his gun. 

He could just make out the dead body sprawled on the street next to the driver’s side of the car, instantly relieved it was a dude and not her. Three shots centre chest, blood pooling around the corpse of the would-be assassin.

She always had a perfect aim, even under pressure.

A smoky haze was rising from the engine and he couldn’t see down the street to the corner where he had last seen her. Hauling himself up, he staggered away from the vehicle fearing the damaged car would fireball. He made it over to the wall of the building before slipping back to the ground and continued to try clear his sight, gun still poised to take down any other assailants.

‘ _Ellie!_ Fuck!’ he pumped the heel of his hand against his ear trying to dampen down the whistling overpowering his hearing. ‘Ellie!! Are you ok! _Ellie_!!’ he yelled until he finally heard her frantic voice screaming his name over the cacophony of screaming bystanders, screeching tires and sirens wailing above the deafening street chaos.

And then she was there, knocking him backwards with a force that thumped his whole body hard against the wall. He heard the metallic clatter of her gun being dropped to the concrete beside them then her arms crushed him, tightening in a vice-grip around his neck so he could barely draw breath. His own arms wrapped around her, holding her close and he could just hear her, hysterically babbling like crazy, the hum of her mumbling vibrating through his chest and as he pulled her into his lap.

She was talking like she didn't have enough time to say what she needed to. Her words were crowded together, and some are missing, her sentences fragmented, and her thoughts seemed to jump from one thing to another. All her fears tumbled out unchecked by her brain, in some kind of mental free-fall and he could only pick up about every few words as languages spilled out of her before she eventually settled back into English.

But one name in the deluge of words he definitely heard and recognised.

Finally running out of steam she pulled back so that she could look at him again, reassuring himself that he really was alive, her two trembling hands gripped his face.

‘Are you really ok? I saw him come- alongside the car-he had a gun pointed -to your head!’ she shook her head like she was trying to dispel the image. ‘You were smiling at me, too far away - you should be- dead Nick!’ she panted out, her breaths coming in harsh gasps as her hands frisked him, her eyes zig-zagging over him again checking him out for injuries. She used her coat sleeve to wipe the blood from the glass cuts and grazes off his forehead.

‘I’m ok Ellie, breathe babe, just breathe. Estoy bien cariño’ he comforted her, hushing her with crooning soft words but she squished her eyes shut and his words bounced off her like they were hard rain. She was breathing hard, hyperventilating like she’d run a marathon. He calmed her with his hand on her cheek while his other stroked the side of her ribs slowly hoping she could mimic the rhythm of the soothing motion to control her erratic wheezing.

‘Ellie, are there more shooters?’ he quizzed her, trying another tactic to pull her back to the here and now.

‘No’ she shook her head firmly, ‘just him. He’s dead and no civilian casualties’ her panicked voice wobbled. ‘No movement in the Russian shop, I’ve called it in’.

‘Fuck, are you hurt?’ he demanded, immediately started running his hands over her head, her chest, checking her over to assess for injury, kicking himself he’d waited until now to make sure.

‘No, I’m fine. I _tried_ to warn you’ her voice pitched like she needed to apologise or something ‘but he fired before I could and I-,’

He barely got his mouth open to reply when she launched at him again, straddling his lap as her arms locked around his neck, her body jerking in rattling shivers. Her nails clawed into him as she clutched him even closer to her, her words coming in a halting, hiccupping outburst.

‘I thought you were dead, Nick. I-,’ she was still sobbing as she abruptly eyeballed him, ‘I can’t lose you- I just … _can’t_ , Nick’ and she kissed him, her lips tasting of salt, her face wet with tears and he knew _this_ was for real.

‘I’m not going anywhere Ellie, I promise, ok?’

The moment he kissed her back, pressing his lips against hers, he felt her body loosen, her small frame melting into his own. His mouth fell on hers again and again, with crushing needy lips, all hot breath, hesitations abandoned. They were like magnets, some unseen force dragging them together, he couldn’t pull away and neither could she. Their lips fit like two puzzle pieces and the world faded. She kissed him back, matching his desperate enthusiasm until it gradually evolved into something slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. Under his jacket she had rucked up his shirt and now ran her fingers down his spine, constantly pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and he could feel the rapid beating of her heart against his chest.

After years undercover losing himself in fake aliases, pushing down and hiding every real emotion, the truth of their raw passion and untamed feelings was palpable. Before he could second-guess it, he stamped down his fears and hesitations.

_Stop thinking, Torres, just feel!_

_Tomorrow you can say we're just friends._

But he didn’t believe that. They had crossed the line. They couldn’t shift back to what they were before.

_This_ kiss, her visceral reaction when she feared he was hurt- they were more than friends, more than partners.

And he knew Ellie felt it too.

Sirens turned to footsteps and people shouting questions at them. Then the paramedics were there, telling him he might need some sutures for a couple of the cuts and that a bullet had grazed his temple, a near-miss so close to the mark that they marvelled at his luck, that nine times out of ten it’d be 'blow your brains out' fatal.

Her eyes turned suddenly wild as the reality of how close a call it had been hit her. Her breathing was all wrong again, gasping like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the air. He made her sit up, rubbing her back to calm her until she exploded into motion, standing up with a hand over her mouth.

‘I’m going to be sick’ she blurted, sprinting to the laneway dumpster and retching.

Not what he was hoping for after that kiss, but he could see she was still on the edges of some kind of panic attack.

He disentangled himself from the First Responders, brushing their gloved hands away and rushed to her side. She was bent over double, hands on her knees, struggling to regulate her breathing as she puked up nothing but water. He held her hair back until she stopped.

‘Better?’ Stupid question really, she was pasty white and rattling with nervous tension. She just shook her head and started crying again. He pulled her into his arms. Her fingers were white-knuckled holding onto his shirt, and she kept repeating ‘you’re ok’ either as a statement or a question he wasn’t sure.

‘I’m ok B, shush, we’re both ok’, he told her over and over, stroking her back and planting kisses on her face. He had never seen her like this. She was always so stoic about gunfights and scrapes, fuck she’d been in plenty herself. He pulled back and kissed her forehead, combing her crazy hair away from her face.

‘Come on, we better face the music’ he tilted his head towards the street where sirens wailed and uniformed officers were shouting at the gathered crowd. He took hold of her chilled hand and was surprised as her fingers instantly interlaced with his and her other hand snaked around locking onto his wrist, reinforcing her hold on him. She had never done that before, she seemed vulnerable and yet protective all at once.

And she wouldn’t let go of him, not when the paramedics led him to the bus and patched up his minor cuts and abrasions, nor as they examined her, concerned she was in shock. She held on to him even when Gibbs arrived with half of NCIS in tow. She just sat beside him on the step of the ambulance holding his hand like he was the anchor she needed to keep from falling apart.

Gibbs didn’t comment, though he noticed like he always noticed everything.

Nick gave his terse verbal report to Gibbs, all the while flicking anxious glances at Ellie's pale face. The shooter, a Russian underling, was being bagged and tagged by Jimmy and the mob boss was being dragged out of the cultural centre spitting feathers about police brutality and that he was a legitimate businessman, the usual bullshit excuses. Ellie didn’t seem to notice what was going on and added no input into his statement. That worried him and Gibbs both; Ellie was never quiet.

‘Bishop, you ok?’ Gibbs probed but he didn’t get a response from her, she had withdrawn into herself, almost in a daze. His icy blue eyes narrowed as he took in the smears of blood on her cheeks and chin. ‘Bishop, do you need to go to the hospital?’ he asked more gently.

‘Not her blood, Boss’ he reassured him even as he flushed a little, bearing in mind it was their impromptu make-out that had transferred his blood onto her pale skin. ‘Bishop just needs to have a talk with Sloane, paramedics thought she might be in shock’ he added as delicately as possible, hoping he would leave her be.

‘Ok’ Gibbs accepted, still roamed his eyes over her and then locked on him with an appraising inspection, ‘I'll get a car to drive you both back’. He obviously knew separating them would be a bad idea.

Anyway, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell Nick would let that happen, even with a direct order but fuck, there would be an uncomfortable grilling from the guy in his near future.

In the back of the patrol car Ellie just slumped against him her adrenaline burnt out and emotionally exhausted, so much so he thought she’d actually fallen asleep tucked under his arm, her face nestled into his chest.

His every muscle ached, and he’d have plenty of bruises tomorrow, but he was much more concerned about Ellie now and whatever was going on in her head. Dropping his head, he nuzzled a kiss on her herbal-scented hair but she didn’t move. He carefully checked again making sure she had dozed off and cautiously pulled out his phone and dropped a text to Jack

_‘Ellie had a panic attack after the shooting. It was bad. She even called me Qasim’_

In all her babbling _that_ was the name he’d heard. Ellie had lost herself back in the memory of when the guy was riddled with bullets right in front of her. Sloane would’ve read her file and would know about Qasim, at least now she had a heads up of what to expect, what to probe in case Ellie bluffed with her usual ‘I’m fine’ when she was upset but didn’t want to appear weak on the job.

Sloane would help her past this; he knew Ellie was resilient, strong, stubborn and fuck she was sexy. He was in love with her and he was going to tell her exactly how he felt.

Let the dice fall where they may.


	6. Worth the risk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so this is a long chapter!! Also see I've changed the rating to Mature... and the tags....bye!

Nick was waiting, well, pacing back and forth like a caged tiger, outside Sloane’s room for her when she eventually came out. He knew _he_ was completely screwed up from his past, PTSD or whatever they called it now, but the thought of Ellie being stuck in a nightmare of re-watching Qasim bleed to death on loop made him feel sick. He really hoped today’s episode was a once-off, triggered by the near-miss, and he had a _really_ strong desire not to shot at again any time soon!

He had already showered and changed into sweats from his go-bag and scanning his eyes over her he noticed that she’d done the same, no doubt with Jack’s coaxing- the smears of his blood all over her probably weren’t helping de-escalate her stress.

Jack pulled Ellie into a hug and smiled over at Nick. ‘I’m signing you both off until Monday, and I’ll need to talk to the two of you then _before_ I can clear either of you for duty, agreed?’

‘Sure Jack’ he nodded curtly, glad he didn’t have to spill his guts today.

‘Thanks for the talk, Jack’ Ellie sounded more like herself and flicked a nervous smile to him.

‘Go home and rest Bishop, call me anytime’. Jack crossed her arms and gave Nick a penetrating no-nonsense glare; she was _so_ taking lessons from Gibbs!

Yeah, he knew they needed to make up for lost time without Jack’s prompting!

The sense of urgency to just leave with Ellie, to get away from prying eyes, to tell her everything, win lose or draw, was suddenly completely overwhelming. His mind fixated on the logistics of making it happen as rapidly as possible.

‘Come on, Ellie’ he said as he snatched her hand and almost pulled her down the hall toward the lift without a backward glance or a goodbye to Jack.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked inquisitively, her voice full of beans but she looked exhausted and leaned against him as they travelled down to the carpark levels.

‘Your place or mine, whichever's closer,’ he answered as the doors opened, still pulling her along behind him.

‘Yours is closer’. He nodded taking her word for it. She probably knew the exact distances in miles and kilometres, with grid references, off the top of her head.

Nick put Ellie in his car, reaching across her to click the buckle of her seatbelt. She was perfectly capable of doing it herself but it gave him the pretext to be close enough to kiss the warm soft skin of her freshly-showered neck. He _had_ to hold her hand as he drove home at speed; he understood now why she wouldn’t let go earlier, it was the one thing grounding him.

He still wasn’t sure how to play this, every version of every scenario, good, bad and very fucking ugly flashed through his head. In the end, he bit back his insecurities and went with simplicity.

‘I think you know that everything is gonna change now’ he announced steadily even as his grip tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw clenched with tension as he skimmed his eyes over her.

Ellie nodded her head but continued balling up her fist on her lap, her nerves still fried. ‘In what way?’ she asked her voice just above a whisper.

‘Well, for one thing, you're not going out with Rob anymore.’

_Well, that came out blunter than planned!_

Ellie smiled at the assertive tone in his voice, and he noted she didn’t contradict or even tease him about it.

‘Yeah?’ she challenged him lightly.

‘Yeah’ he answered firmly. ‘You're going out with me from now on’ he told her matter-of-factly.

He furtively glanced over at her to see how this assertion sat with her. She just nodded in silent agreement and a smile lit up her face returning some of her natural colouring.

‘Ok Nick’ she agreed calmly, and her shoulders seemed to droop as some of the stress left her. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her all better, and he would later, but at least now he could breathe a little easier.

He totally lost his fight to hold back the goofy smile threatening to embarrass him.

_Fuck it!_

He impulsively pulled her hand up to grinning lips and kissed her knuckles.

They arrived at his building only minutes later, it was so late there was hardly any traffic and he’d put his foot to the pedal more than was strictly necessary. Parking up he all but jumped out of the car and rocketed himself to her door, pulling her out of the seat, steadying her with his hands on her waist. Without hesitation, she leaned into him and slammed her lips to his and nearly knocked all wind from his lungs. He hardly had a moment to react before she pressed her tongue to the seam of his lips and delved inside his mouth. He kissed her back impatiently, heatedly, with all the passion he'd been saving for years.

_Definitely not just friends anymore!_

They let themselves into his apartment with difficulty, both knotted up in a tangle of limbs, still kissing each other as if there was no other choice because there wasn’t; every pretext for not being together had fallen away. 

Her familiar ringtone interrupted them and without thinking she pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered.

‘Oh, Rob’ she answered in a shaky higher than normal pitched voice. ‘Hi…no everything’s ok… No, I can’t tonight’

Nick tried his best to control his facial reactions, to let her talk to the guy, but impatience overwhelmed him. He needed her to get off the phone, so he slipped his grip from her waist, moving up her ribcage until his fingers were tucked under her arm, his thumb caressing the lacy trim of her bra that he could just feel through her top. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes; he noticed she inched closer to him, her heaving chest pushing her breast fully into his palm.

‘Look Rob, I can’t see you anymore…Yeah, it’s about Nick…I’m sorry, never meant to-,’

He hung up abruptly apparently, but she just shrugged and threw her phone on the couch. ‘I don’t think we’ll be staying friends’ she grimaced contritely even as her hand slipped under his shirt and found that dimpled area at the base of his spine.

‘Good’ was all he said. ‘Now, where were we?’ and he kissed her again, his tongue slipping in, tasting, exploring and sliding along her lips until he broke away abruptly.

_Now or never!_

‘I love you, you know that right?’ he blurted emphatically, his eyes locked with hers so that she could read his absolute sincerity. He took a lung-filling breath and waited for the fallout.

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I love you, too’.

‘Thank fuck!’ he responded breathlessly, a wave of relief crashing over him. With his arms still wrapped around her, his heart almost bursting with emotion he asked, ‘Ellie, how far do you want to take this? Cause I'm all in’.

‘I'm all in, too, Nick, have been for a while’ she admitted, looking up at him like she was assessing his reaction to that tidbit.

‘Why the hell have we been wasting time then?’

‘I guess because we both put the job first Nick. You said it again and again and so I believed that’s what you wanted, _all_ you wanted, to be just partners.’ She gulped a swallow, ‘and I’d rather have _some_ of you than _none_ of you’.

‘You always had all of me B, it’s always been you’

‘Well _I_ didn’t know that, I mean, you _dated_!’ she replied heatedly.

‘So did you, B!’ he nipped back defensively. ‘I was an idiot, hiding how I felt about you, pushing you away’ he squirmed, not used to explaining his screwed-up feelings even to her.

‘I was trying to make you jealous’ she confessed with a guilty shrug, ‘you know, like _caveman_ jealous so you’d quit just kissing me because we had an itch that needed scratching… I needed you to _want_ me, Nick’ she sighed plaintively.

‘I _want_ you Ellie!’ he struggled to keep his frustration at bay. ‘Fuck, I thought you and Rob were serious and I was slowly going out of my goddamn mind thinking I’d fucked up and lost you forever. Believe me, I’ve done _plenty_ of ‘jealous caveman’! Why do you think I’ve hit the gym so hard?’ he huffed in exasperation thinking of all the hours he had spent thumping shit out of a punchbag because he had a primitive impulse to hit _something_!

Her eyes were downcast as his words hit her and his gut twisted. He gently tilted her chin upwards with his index finger, brushing her lower lip with his rough thumb, enthralled as it pouts slightly, and he had such an urge to bite it, to suck it… He waited until her eyes met his again.

‘I want you, ok?’ he clarified with a hard kiss, his hands skirting down to her ass, pulling her close so that she could feel the ramrod-rigid evidence of his Neanderthal-like savage desire for her straining against his sweats. Reassured she leaned in closer to him, pressing her lower abdomen against his bulging crotch.

‘ _Ellie_ …’ her name rumbled in his chest, a primal growl escaped him, forewarning her of what that kind of teasing did to him. She swallowed softly, her hands crumpling up fistfuls of the back of his shirt and she pulled his hips to her some more. His mouth looked for hers again but she stopped him with more questions, of course she did, this was Ellie!

‘What about everything you said about Rule 12’ she countered, ‘the distraction, the danger of us being emotionally attached on the job. What if we broke up and _loathed_ each other and couldn’t work on the same team-,’ she threw back every argument he had ever made about why they shouldn’t, _couldn’t_ be together, but the difference was now he knew it was all bullshit.

‘First of all, we’re never breaking up and second, Ellie we’ve been ‘emotionally attached’ since we met and that bond, well, it saved my life today. Somehow I heard your voice in my head and you saved my ass’.

‘That’s-,’

‘Ridiculous and hearing voices is generally not a good thing’ he rolled his eyes heavenward, waiting for the mockery.

‘I was going with ‘the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard’ but tomayto, tomahto!’

He burst out laughing and she joined him finally relaxing into the fact they’d covered all the bases, knowing yeah, there’d be a shit ton of other stuff they’d need to talk through but, for now, this was enough.

Well almost.

‘About Rob, I didn’t, I mean _we_ never-,’

‘Doesn’t matter, don’t care, you're mine now Ellie and that’s all that counts’.

He tentatively looked at her face, not sure how she would take his possessive outburst. The swirls of emotion he saw there made him gasp. Lust and desire.

_Caveman really is her thing, huh?_

Before he could ponder about it further, she yanked him to her and covered his mouth with hers in a hungry kiss.

A kiss like this was a beginning, a promise of much more to come.

Their feet shifted like they were partners in a dance, shedding shoes and jackets as they waltzed in slow circular movements never breaking away from their kisses, avoiding some walls, bumping carelessly into furniture then slowing to a standstill at his bedroom door. She pushed him hard against the doorframe, her petite stature belying her strength. Her hands slipped under his tight shirt, nails scratching trails across his burning skin until her impatience at the hindrance of his clothes left her growling. She stepped back and pointed at his shirt.

‘Off!’ she ordered.

‘Yes ma’am’ he obeyed with a smirk.

Her hands were already back on him before he tugged his shirt off over his head. He sucked in his breath as he realised her nimble fingers had his sweats tie-string undone and she was pulling them down along with his boxers and she went down to her knees with them.

He was completely unprepared.

You would think that after all the hours he'd spent with Ellie - watching her talk, laugh and eat - that he would know all there was to know about her lips. But he hadn't imagined how warm they would feel all around his hard dick. Ok maybe he’d _thought_ about it, once or twice…

‘You don’t have to…Jesus Christ!’ he hissed as her lips moved forward encasing more and more of him with her mouth. Her nails grazed his hips and down his thighs as she started moving deeper along his shaft with a mind-blowing rhythm.

‘Fuck Ellie!’ he groaned through gritted teeth as he felt a tremble ripple through his abdominal muscles

He’d planned to take his time with _her_ first, had it all worked out in his head- everything from seduction to satisfaction, but she clearly had other ideas. He was rapidly discovering that more than a little of Ellie’s sexiness came from her confidence, her ability to take charge. He hadn’t realised how fucking erotic being dominated was.

Her mouth sucked hard all the way from root to tip, her lips making a popping sound as she slid off him.

‘Do you want me to stop?’ she asked innocently as she looked up at him through her lashes, her hand now encircling his boy keeping up a smooth back and forth action.

He gasped a ‘fuck no’ and even that was cut off as her tongue started to do laps around and along length. Reflexively his fingers combed into her hair, twisting a handful tethering himself to her as his head dropped back hitting the doorframe in ecstasy.

He was close, he could feel his balls twitch as her pace and pressure mounted. He thought about slowing or holding off but she did this thing with her tongue and he reached his peak, his hips stuttered and his body went stiff. He held on to her hair even tighter and with her name on his lips he emptied himself.

_Sweet baby Jesus!_

It took a minute for his lungs to start up again but his heart still hammered as she slowly slid her mouth off him.

‘So you’re _not_ immune to my advances, huh?’ she teased, her face brimming with naughtiness.

Spontaneously they both erupted, laughing a little bashfully at each other.

‘Your turn’ he smirked, flicking his eyes to the bed as he kicked off his clothes pooled at his feet. ‘You're overdressed’ he chided her.

‘Whatcha going to do about it?’ she taunted, pouting her lips salaciously.

With a grin, he hoisted her up and in a smooth movement lifted her right off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. She squealed his name in surprise as he carried her towards the bed.

‘Hey, you wanted caveman!’ he chuckled, playfully landing a slap on her ass, and she whooped in delight.

He let her fall with a soft bounce on the mattress, his hungry eyes stalking her as she wriggled further into the centre of the bed and he followed her, crawling up like a predatory beast on the hunt until he was braced over her.

‘Me Tarzan, you Jane!’ he rumbled in a low gravelly voice, ‘works for me babe!’ he smirked.

‘You're an idiot’ she laughed, propping herself up on her elbows so she could land a mouthy kiss.

‘I love you too’ he winked back at her with one of his best cheeky smiles and the beaming look she gave him in return was like liquid sunshine.

Then he was all business, undoing her jeans, pulling them down, kissing from her toes upward, slowly, his hands on her legs, always just a little higher than the kisses. Her back arched in anticipation, knowing where his fingers would soon reach. His hands slid up her thighs outside and inner until they could go no further, and his thumbs brushed between her legs. Her head rocked back against the pillow as he did it again firmer this time, the first moan escaping her lips. He hooked his fingers into the sides of her underwear and slowly pulled them down.

Next, he opened the fiddly buttons of her blouse, eventually pushing the material aside and off her shoulders. The only thing that mattered was touching her more, kissing her mouth, her stomach, her breasts. He tried to be gentle with her clothing, not to rip her pretty lace bra, but it was hard. His rough hands were made for firearms and fistfights, not tiny clasps and delicate fabrics.

Then she was naked, fully unwrapped and revealed like the best Christmas present he could ever wish for.

‘Dios, you're beautiful’ he whispered though her blush said she had heard him too.

He began nuzzling her neck with delicate kisses, so faint, they were almost whispers. Slowly he worked his way down her torso, paying attention to her already hardened nipples, a lick and a teasing graze with his teeth had her breath stuttering. He trailed his fingers further south and she bucked against him, his thumb teasing that sensitive bundle of nerves as he slowly dipped two fingers inside her slick core until she was writhing beneath him.

Lots of colourful, multilingual words spilled from her mouth as she rode out the building crescendo he could feel as she tightened around his fingers. He nudged her legs wider and licked her, thrilled how she moaned his name. He replaced his fingers with his tongue but kept the rhythmic pressure on that erotic point with his thumb. As the profanity became a high-pitched, hissing sibilance he gleaned two pieces of information; she wanted more, and she wanted him.

He kept up a tempo alternating between teasing and taunting, sucking and sliding until he knew she was there. Silenced, her body became rigid and her heels dug into the bed as she arched up to meet him. When her shaking subsided he was quite sure she has pulled out his half a scalp, and with the earlier cuts it stung like hell but it was the kind of pain he could put up with any, fuck, _every_ day.

Moving up so that they are sharing a pillow, her hand rested against his cheek as she panted, still trying to catch her breath. They move closer, his arms wrapping around her waist pulling her in so that her whole length was pressed against his own burning flesh. It felt so right, her body next to his.

‘We don’t have to do anything else tonight Ellie, you were so upset earlier…’ he had to say it even if his tackle was excruciatingly ready for action again.

In one fluid motion, she pushed him back and turned herself so that she was astride him.

_Game on!_

Her blonde hair fanned across his chest as she nibbled her way around his neck while her fingers sketched intricate swirling trails and pathways.

Ellie's fingertips were electric. Wherever they touched on his chest and abs, his skin tingled in a frenzy of static, tiny twitches shaking his body as he struggled to hold it together. She could do whatever she wanted to him, again and again, and he’d beg for more.

‘You promised me a _Sloe_ _Comfortable Screw_ , I’m cashing in Torres…condom?’

‘Top drawer’

Seconds later she was rolling it on with those magic fingers and just to tease him some more she dropped her mouth onto his covered tip while he made sure it was all the way to the base. That done, she repositioned her hips on his lap, teasing his engorged length rhythmically at just the right angle so that he could feel all her slippery warmth along him. His agonising desperation to be inside her vibrated in a low rumbling growl and he moved his hands to her hips, aching for her to let him push in, but she just tutted and slowed down her assault on his dick again. Taking his hand he watched as she kissed each of his fingers before opening her mouth and sucking those two that had been inside her.

_Mind blown!_

She had raised the game and played her trump card.

‘Ellie’ he whispered her name hoarsely, ‘please’, he begged.

A mischievously triumphant smile illuminated her face, but he knew he was the winner.

Bewitched he watched as she lowered herself slowly onto him, his mouth dropping open in a gasp at the feel of her slick heat surrounding him as she smoothly slid down over him until he was balls deep inside her. Rolling her head back in satisfaction the most carnal sound he’d ever heard escaped her lips. He had to work real hard on slowing his thoughts as she decadently leaned forward, filling his field of vision with her breasts, her eyes full of sin and seduction. Clenching his jaw, he stilled to allow her to stretch to his size, very aware of how tight she felt around him and just luxuriated in the intense, indescribable feeling of them finally being together.

The need to move, then move faster became too much and when he lifted his hips, she rolled her pelvis to meet him. They found a pace that had them both teetering on the brink and he could see as she squeezed her eyes shut, her breathing faltering she was close to spiralling again. He brought his thumb back to where she liked it and ignored her clawing nails biting into his flesh as wave after wave of convulsive shivers rocked her body.

He wasn’t far behind her, thrusting deeper and harder until his brain shutdown, his balls were on fire and the warmth spread throughout his entire body as his release finally came with Ellie still riding out her own.

They clung to each other afterwards, panting and spent, placing gentle kisses wherever they could reach. Their smiles were those of shyness, mischief and of a shared secret that only they knew. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and as he rolled them both onto their sides she giggled at the sudden change in position. Her face glowed with a joyful smile even as he tenderly tipped her nose with his own.

‘Marry me’ he blurted. He hadn’t planned that, but he knew it wasn’t some post-coital moment of madness. He wanted to be with Ellie forever.

‘What?’ she flinched, in surprise, he hoped.

‘Marry me, Ellie. I love you, that’s never going to change’.

‘It’s a bit sudden-,’

‘Ellie just think about it, ok?’ he pleaded, his heart shuddering in panic, terrified he’d pushed her too far, but he resolutely ploughed on. ‘We’ve known each other for years, we’re partners, best friends, we’ve pretty much been dating the past few months anyway! And my family love you, your brothers probably won’t kill me-,’

‘Nick, shush!’ she placed her fingers over his mouth gagging his gibbering. ‘It’s a bit sudden…’ she swallowed nervously, ‘but yes, I’ll marry you’ she finished with a shy smile.

The weekend was a whirlwind of making love in every position and in every room of his apartment, of sharing secrets and sweatshirts, and of intermittent pizza, Chinese and deli-food deliveries. They ran out of condoms after the first night but neither cared; Ellie was on the pill, her doctor did annual STI screening and he’d never had sex without cover so they were good to go…and Jesus Christ did they go, again and again and again!

Although they were both adamant about putting their relationship ahead of work from now on, he could see her mounting anxiety as Sunday evening rolled in and she decided to head home to organise herself for work in the morning. He drove her to her apartment already feeling glum that he wouldn’t be falling asleep with her in his arms that night.

He was only home an hour or so when his phone rang.

‘Hey Nick’

‘Ellie, everything ok?’ he wasn’t really worried, her voice was soft and relaxed.

‘Yeah, just soaking in the bath and thinking of you’

‘The bath huh? So, you're naked and wet without me…’

‘And saddle-sore from being _with_ you all weekend’ she scoffed.

‘Sorry, not sorry’ he smirked, his own balls were aching from over-use.

‘Would you think I was crazy if I said I missed you and would really like to have you here?’ she asked hesitantly.

‘Not crazy Ellie, I think you read my mind’

‘Telepathy again, huh? So, what’s my head saying I want right now? she teased in that naughty tone he was becoming addicted to.

‘Well, _that_ could get us arrested in at least three states but I’m on my way’ he laughed.

They’d vacillated between concealing their relationship and coming clean all weekend, even right up to riding up in the lift together. They both had concerns about the consequences, but they walked into the bullpen the next morning together and stood in front of Gibbs desk.

Hand in hand.

Gibbs barely flicked his eyes up as their shadow fell on him.

‘Something to say, Torres? Bishop?’ he muttered briskly, his pen scratching as he continued to scribble his report.

Nick interlaced his fingers with her suddenly clammy ones and plunged in for both of them.

‘Boss, Ellie and I broke Rule 12’

‘And you're telling me this _now_?’ he asked in confusion.

‘Well it only just happened, this weekend’ he added sheepishly, glancing over at a rosy-face Ellie who was nervously chowing down on her lip again.

‘ _Really?_ ’ Gibbs jerked his head back, his eyebrows raised in scepticism.

‘Yeah!’ both he and Ellie nodded emphatically.

‘Huh!’ he shrugged returning to his paperwork, ‘I thought you two got together months ago’.

Nick was switching staring between Gibbs and Bishop. Her mouth was kind of hanging open doing that goldfish thing where she was lost for words but still kept trying to find some.

He cleared his throat, ‘so, it’s not a problem?’ he probed cautiously like Gibbs was a live explosive which in all probability would detonate any minute.

‘Not for me’ he answered indifferently.

‘You won’t reassign one of us?’ Nick squeezed Ellie’s hand as she held her breath.

‘Nope, you two are a good team. But if you do break up, keep it out of the office, got it?’

‘We’re getting married’ Ellie blurted, her face instantly apologetic as she grimaced an ‘eek!’.

_Fuck!_ She wasn’t meant to announce that until she could dazzle everyone with a ring. It looked lame that he hadn’t gotten her one yet, but he _had_ tried. Even though he begged her to go shopping with him for one over the weekend she wouldn’t get dressed or leave his bed or stop doing those things to him…

‘Aww _man_!’ Gibbs groaned, rolling his eyes in irritation.

‘What?’ Ellie piped up anxiously, ‘We can get married and still work together… I read the entire NCIS employee handbook and all the HR protocols and there’s nothing in there that says-,’

‘Do I have to wear a tux? he interrupted her plaintively. ‘I hate penguin suits!’

‘Um, I... we only _just_ got engaged. We haven’t even told our families yet’ she stuttered, for once on the backfoot on a planning detail.

_Oh god!_ He suddenly thought about what Lucia’s reaction to the news would be, her obsession with wedding design would go on nuclear!

‘You told _me_ first?’ Gibbs asked in disbelief.

‘Yeah well…Rule 12 and ...’ they both squirmed under his death-glare.

‘ _Never_ gamble happiness for a job!’ he barked incredulously, ‘Rule 5- you don’t _waste_ good! It trumps #12, every time’. He cleared his throat gruffly and shook his head. ‘The rules are the code _I_ live by, _my_ rules- go figure out your own, together. Be happy’.

Dismissed they still stood frozen. She looked at him with a shy kind of wonder, her lower lip caught between her teeth as she tried to puzzle out what she should do next now that they had been given permission to be together. He really wanted to kiss her, but they were at work and wanted to prove they could keep it professional, so they separated and sat behind their respective desks. He settled for mouthing ‘I love you’ and she glowed, silently lipping the sentiment in return.

‘And Torres?’ Gibbs interrupted their love-fest as he took a slurp from his coffee.

‘Yes, Boss?’

‘Good luck with her brothers’ he smirked before burying his head back into paperwork.

_It’s better to cross the line and suffer the consequences_

_than to just stare at the line for the rest of your life!_


End file.
